In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. We also grow a smaller number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘RED PRINCESS VI’.
The present variety was hybridized by us in 2008 as a first generation cross using ‘July Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,996) peach as the selected seed parent and ‘August Bright’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,143) nectarine as the selected pollenparent. Upon reaching maturity the fruit from this cross was harvested, and the seeds were removed, cracked, stratified, germinated, and grown as seedlings on their own root in our greenhouse. Upon reaching dormancy the seedlings were transplanted as a group to a cultivated area of our experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the fruit evaluation season of 2013 we selected the present variety as a single tree from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of peach tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproductions were true to the original tree in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its seed parent, ‘July Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,996) peach by having a large and vigorous tree, by being self-fertile, and by producing peaches that mostly red to orange in skin color, and yellow in flesh color, but is quite distinguished therefrom by blooming later, by requiring more chilling, and by producing peaches that are clingstone instead of freestone in type, that are larger in size, and that mature about thirty days later.
The present variety is similar to its pollen parent, ‘August Bright’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,143) nectarine, by having a medium to large tree, by being self-fertile, and by producing fruit that is mostly red to orange in skin color, yellow in flesh color, fairly globose in shape, clingstone in type and firm in texture, but is quite distinguished therefrom by having large showy instead of small non-showy blossoms and by producing peaches instead of nectarines that mature about eight days later and have a bitter instead of sweet kernel.
The present variety is most similar to ‘Summer Princess’ peach (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,793) by having large blossoms, by being self-fertile, and by producing peaches that are mostly red to orange in skin color, mostly yellow in flesh color, large in size, clingstone in type, globose in shape, and firm in texture, but is distinguished therefrom by requiring more chilling hours, by having reniform instead of globose leaf glands, and by producing fruit that is somewhat sweeter and that matures about twenty days earlier. It is to be noted that ‘Summer Princess’ was originally claimed to ripen the last week of August, but has since been determined to ripen the second week of September in commercial orchard conditions.